


Finding Lee

by Sprinkledcupcake



Category: Naruto
Genre: Abduction, Action, Action & Romance, Aged-Up Character(s), Alpha Rock Lee, Alpha rut, Alpha/Omega, Angst, Begging, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Broken Bones, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama, Epic Battles, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Fight Scenes, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Torture, Injury, Knotting, Loss of Control, M/M, Major Character Injury, Omega Gaara, Omega Hatake Kakashi, Oral Sex, Pining, Praise, Restraints, Rough Sex, Rutting, Scenting, Self-Esteem Issues, Slow Burn, Starvation, This author needs comments to survive, Torture, Whump, omega drop
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:48:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29124435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sprinkledcupcake/pseuds/Sprinkledcupcake
Summary: Gaara has always been misunderstood. He's different, and he is well aware of it. The only person who has truly known and accepted him is Rock Lee, his alpha. When Lee is abducted on a routine mission, Gaara finds himself without support for the first time and struggles to understand his instincts and emotions in his mate's absence.As the heir to Suna and the first omega to carry that title, he has always put his people before himself, but none of that matters with Lee gone. The only thing that matters is finding the leaf ninja. He would tear apart the entire desert if that's what it will take to get him back.It's up to his siblings, Tamari and Konkuro, to reconcile the boy they used to know with the man he was now, to provide him with the support he needs, and maybe understand him in the process.The three sand siblings join together with the Konoha team: Kakashi, Shino, and Kiba, to find the missing shinobi and bring them back home.
Relationships: Gaara/Rock Lee
Comments: 27
Kudos: 67





	1. A Letter from Konoha

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, here's my latest fic, as usual I am procrastinating on other fics and had a random idea pop into my head. I hope you all like it.

Gaara stormed through the halls of the palace, his normally aggressive demeanor now positively demonic. Sand whirled around him, signaling his rage to anyone stupid enough to approach. At the end of the hallway, the rooms he shared with his siblings came into view. He didn't bother with the doorknob, cutting his hands through the air to rip the doors from their hinges, much to his sister's dismay.

"Hey!" Temari yelped from her place in their shared common area, where she was busily sharpening the blades of her fan. She reacted instinctually, jumping up to balance on the arm of the couch, fan extended with a flick of her wrist, her muscles easily compensating for the weight of the massive weapon. Her demeanor changed when she recognized red hair, and she let out an annoyed groan. She dropped the fan to the ground with a shake of her head, leaning on its base with a disdainful look directed at Gaara.

Kankuro tore into the room, his makeup half done and Crow chittering behind him in preparation for an attack. He was quick to take in Temari's appearance and throw his hands up in exasperation, his puppet imitating the movement behind him.

"What the hell, Gaara?" Kankuro snarled when he realized it was, unfortunately, only his dramatic little brother. He sent Crow back to his room before dropping down to the couch and glaring at Gaara expectantly, unknowingly sharing the same expression as his sister. 

"Get your things. We are leaving. Now." Gaara growled, stalking into his room. He began stripping off his day clothes for a more suitable mission outfit. He didn't bother shutting the door as he dropped the light material to the ground and dug out his more durable desert gear and his storage scrolls. 

Temari grunted in annoyance, glaring at her brother's bare back, before casting Kankuro a shared look of confusion. For their own safety, Kankuro and Temari didn't ask any questions. There was little point in questioning their brother when he was in such a foul mood. Neither wanted to be the one on his bad side. Instead, they did as they were told, dressing in their respective uniforms.

It took far too long for Gaara to buckle the straps of his outfit into place; every second counted here. He found himself swallowing past the hard knot in his throat and forcing trembling fingers to calm down as he fumbled with the buttons of his robe. In the end, he left the top four undone when it proved to be too much, heading back to the living area. His siblings were still nowhere in sight, and it took everything in him not to scream at them to hurry up. Gaara paced the length of the room, his hands twisted in the strap of his gourd, and his teeth ground so hard his head ached.

When Temari and Kankuro finally finished and came back into the common area, they watched Gaara nervously. Gaara wasn't the type to display his emotions anymore, especially anger or anxiety. He kept himself under rigid control at all times now that he was in line to become the next Kazekage. Not to mention he hadn't even buttoned his shirt completely. Gaara was nothing if not modest; he rarely let his skin show. Both brothers had similar views on modesty. For Gaara to lose his restraint meant something bad was happening. 

Gaara looked up when he heard them enter. Their expressions were hard for him to decipher, but that didn't matter; he would ask them about it later to properly understand their feelings. Now wasn't the time. He looked them over wordlessly to make sure they had everything before he nodded and headed toward the balcony. Sand snaked forward to do his bidding, the doors bursting opened with an explosion of glass. He didn't pause, a torrent of his sand pouring from the gourd at his back, billowing as it filled the air before him, forming a large cloud and obscuring their view of the city so far below them. Gaara leapt onto the writhing mass without hesitation, waving for the other two to follow.

"Oh shit, I hate this part. Can't we walk?" Kankuro grumbled.

"Shut up and get on," Temari ordered, shoving the black-clad ninja onto the sand. She could sense the tension in Gaara. The kid was about to break. After years of predicting his violent episodes, she knew exactly what to look for. She jumped with ease onto the writhing cloud, sand tickling her toes through her sandals as she joined Gaara. 

"Ah!" Kankuro yelped when they immediately flew into motion, the sudden momentum nearly sending him over the edge. A snake of sand wrapped around his waist, jerking him back into place. That alone was a reassurance that at least Gaara was still in control. It was all they could hope for as more and more sand gathered around him, whirling with his hidden emotions.

Far below, the citizens of Suna looked up at the massive whirling cloud of sand, watching it as the very desert around them sucked into the whirlwind. It pulled from the streets in thin tendrils, dancing over the feet of playing children and through the crowds of market-goers and workers. Not long ago, they would have feared the mere sight of the sand, but now they trusted Gaara was only there to protect them.

Even now, Gaara didn't break that tentative trust; he held onto his frail restraints until he reached the edge of the city, where it began to spiral out of control. All of the sand gathering beneath bim began to twist and turn, transforming into a massive sand tornado. The gigantic funnel stretched toward the ground, ripping through dunes and what little plant life survived in this desolate place. It was visible to any desert dweller, a sign that Gaara of the Sand was on the move. The people whispered and gossiped in the streets as alarms began to go off. 

"Gaara, what did you do?" Kankuro asked, jerking toward the noise before dropping to a knee to look over the edge of sand towards the increasingly small village below. They were in the eye of the storm, the roar of it audible below them, even that unable to drown out the wail of Suna's alert system. Kankuro watched as shinobi flooded from their quarters, running over rooftops and chasing after the man that would be king. 

Gaara was silent beside them; arms crossed over his chest. He practically vibrated with tension as he looked at the ant-like people swarming beneath them— his father's shinobi. His lip curled in rage as he stretched his arms out. The desert surrounding their village rippled beneath them, in a great undulation, as though some vast beast crawled through its depths. Within moments the sand surged upward, cutting off the path of the shinobi. The screams of Suna's citizens could be heard even from their distance as the wall of sand rose higher and higher, bowing inward to swallow Suna in a dome of sand. Everything was abruptly quiet, the screams fading until only the whistle of wind was left behind. Kankuro and Temari starred down at their city in wide-eyed awe, the blatant display of power shaking them to their bones.

"Brother?" Temari whispered, cautiously stepping into Gaara's line of sight. Cold green eyes meet her own, empty of the man she had come to know. In his place was a demon from the past. Someone she knew to fear, someone who had nearly killed her on more than one occasion. 

"What happened?" Temari asked slowly. 

"I didn't hurt them. I stopped them from following us until we are far enough away." Gaara snapped, turning on his heel and stalking across the cloud until he faced north-east, toward the border.

"Never thought you did. We're not the enemy, Gaara." Kankuro reminded his younger sibling, flinching a little at the accusation. He wouldn't put it past Gaara if he were honest with himself. Somehow he felt like more of an asshole just for thinking that.

"We need to know what we're doing here. This isn't like you." Temari added as she followed after Gaara. She cleared her throat nervously, reaching out to touch his hand. He was shaking almost as much as she was. She recoiled when Gaara looked down at her hand as though its very existence offended him. As though he couldn't see her. Determined not to show her fear, she wove her fingers through Gaara's, encouraging the tense fist he held it in to relax.

Kankuro stayed back, chewing his lip as he watched the exchange warily, ready to get Temari out of range if Gaara snapped. Kankuro wanted to trust him, but he hadn't seen Gaara this out of control in a long time. It made the younger man unpredictable.

Gaara stared down at Temari's hand; the warmth of her skin was shocking against his icy palm. It felt like sunlight, and he desperately needed the touch. He swallowed hard, blinking with confusion as he lifted his gaze and saw fear in her eyes: fear and trust. With a shuddering breath, Gaara closed his eyes, his lack of control suddenly phasing him. He had to get it back. He clutched her hand briefly, clinging to the point of contact. He held out his other hand to Kankuro, passing him a rolled scroll, partially crushed by the grip of Gaara's hand.

Kankuro took the paper and unrolled it, his brown eyes scanning over Konoha's seal. It was an official request for support; a team of leaf ninja had been ambushed on a mission and had been taken captive. Their people had been hunting for the missing shinobi for three weeks until the trail led into the desert. They were requesting back up from Suna in navigating the unfamiliar area.

Among the missing ninja: Rock Lee. Kankuro didn't even care about the other names on the list.

"Fuck." Kankuro answered shortly, handing Temari the scroll wordlessly. No wonder Gaara was freaking out. Rock Lee was his mate, even if they were still unbound after almost a year. They were official in all but the bite, much to their fathers exceeding disappointment. 

"Agreed." Gaara rasped, his grip almost crushing Temari's fingers. "Three weeks Kan, he's been in their hands for three _weeks."_ Gaara spat, dropping down to sit in the sand, his elbows on his knees, still holding onto Temari. He feared if he released her, his world might fall apart, or he might simply kill everything between him and his alpha.

Gaara had no idea why they had taken Rock Lee, or even who _they_ were. His mind wouldn't touch on the idea that Lee was dead; that was not possible. He would not allow it. Gaara may be the worst omega in humanity's history, but he believed that if Lee were gone, he would know it. 

_I should have known something happened to him. Foolish._ It had been so unlike Lee; he was religious about their contact, letters were sent to Gaara's at least twice a week. Gaara had been so busy he had just assumed Lee was on a long mission, incapable of communication. He had never expected this. 

"Father refused to let me go find him. Like I would remain at home while my mate is god knows where!" Gaara seethed. He had always known the Kazekage disapproved of his pairing; he refused to acknowledge Gaara could be an omega, let alone paired with a leaf shinobi, and a leaf shinobi of little power at that. Luckily, it was exceedingly hard for Gaara to give a damn about the man's opinion when he had loathed Gaara from birth. It had been more of the same, nothing but disdain and disappointment. Lee had been the first thing he decided _he_ wanted. Gaara would never give that up.

All that mattered was Lee; he was all Gaara needed in his life. Gaara had never known what he was missing until the day Lee asked him to be his mate. He'd never had anyone dote upon him or care about his well being past his use as a human weapon. Even Gaara's siblings still feared his existence, merely waiting for the day he lost it. He could see it in them; even now, he was little more than a ticking bomb, with them waiting on the sidelines to clean up his mess. Lee was the only person who had never feared him, who dared to face off against him even if he knew he would lose. Lee was the only person who loved him.

"Father's an idiot if he thought he could keep you from hunting Lee down. He'll have sent ANBU to bring you back. You're not to be on a mission without them or without his permission." Temari said while she finished reading the scroll, tapping the paper against her palm and nodding her head resolutely. There was no stopping this now; all they could do was help. "How long do you think you can keep up that sand dome?"

"As long as it takes us to get out of here. I took the only message. I sent a hawk before we left to let the Konoha team know we are coming." Gaara explained. What little he knew of the mission gone awry was that the original team had had to return to Konoha due to injury. They were resuming the hunt at the place they had last seen the bandits in hopes of finding the trail once more.

"It's settled then. We'll get Rock Lee's sappy ass back in your arms in no time, little brother." Kankuro said with venom in his voice. 

Gaara wanted to believe him. He had to.

_I'm on my way, Lee._ Gaara thought. _Hold on._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another new fic! I just adore this pairing, I can't get them out of my head! I love writing Gaara as a badass! He legit is terrifying in the anime and I feel like it's never quite explored how the relationship with his siblings grows after the sheer terror of growing up with a pretty much murderer. I sort of want to explore this a little in this fic so please don't be mad if I have changed up my usual Sand Sibling Dynamics, they will get there!


	2. The Oasis

The three siblings plowed through across the barren land, the hot sun beating down on them as they traveled through the day. Gaara could feel his control over the sand dome slipping back at the village and paused only long enough in their traveling to turn around and summon the sand away from the city. In the distance, barely visible, the wall of sand rose like a great beast as it moved away from their people before he released it to rain down upon the desert.

  
"We're almost to the Northern Well. The Konoha shinobi should be waiting for us there." Temari said, pointing the way toward a small oasis. It was the only spot of green in this otherwise desolate place, still merely a speck in the distance. The Northern Well was the only water source for miles in any direction, and even bandit shinobi had to follow the whims of the desert.

This was Lee's last known location.

Gaara didn't acknowledge his sister, but the sand beneath him stirred into a boil, rolling in a blatant display of emotion. He was stoic as any statue, but his sand always gave him away, his feelings leaking in to wreak his self-control. Somehow he managed to push his powers faster, his sand straining at his command as he forced it to speed up. He was close, so close.

***

The Konoha shinobi ran, feet pounding against first against the pavement, then tree bark, and now sand. Kakashi took up the head of the team, setting a grueling pace despite the bloody bandages wrapping his left leg. Shino and Kiba ran in a diamond formation behind him, with Kiba's dog, Akamaru, taking up the rear guard. Urgency fueled them; they had to hurry. They had to rescue their people before it was too late. Across the desert, racing toward the same destination, a massive storm rose, blocking out the very sun.   


"Sandstorm?" Kiba grunted under his breath. He rubbed at the goggles covering his eyes to make sure it wasn't a smudge of dirt, no definitely a sandstorm, and it was headed straight for them. At the pace they currently set, they would barely make it to their destination before the storm hit. 

"I do not believe that is a sandstorm, Kiba." Shino disagreed, his voice muffled by the mask of fabric shielding his face from the punishing granules of sand that threatened to abrade skin from bone.  


"It's Gaara," Kakashi murmured. He could practically feel the strength of the young shinobi's jutsu even at this distance. It was familiar, laced with wild energy.   
"Holy shit." Kiba was in awe; the sheer power it took to form such a thing was incredible. "Why would they send him. He can't be trusted on a mission like this!" Gaara was notoriously hard to work with, violent and predictable only in his unpredictability. With Lee captured and one of the few people who could control Gaara, they were in trouble, and so were the people who had their friends. Shit was going down.

"Dammit, get a move on. I want to be there before they arrive." Kakashi ordered. There was a reason mated pairs were not allowed to work together, to begin with. For Kazekage Raza to let his son in on the mission was a fool move, one that might spell danger for all of them. They had little chance of containing Gaara if he saw the oasis the same way Kakashi had left it. It had been the sight of his last encounter with the bandits, and it had not been a pretty one. 

Wordlessly they ran faster, pushing their bodies to their limits. No one felt the urgency more than Kakashi; he had been there when his original teammates had been taken. It had been a simple mission; clear out a nest of bandits terrorizing a nearby town. They couldn't have known it was a trap, and it was too late by the time they figured it out. The bandits had been powerful, with a genjutsu that even Kakashi could barely break in time to escape. The younger shinobi: Naruto, Neji, and Rock Lee never stood a chance. 

Kakashi didn't know why they had been taken or who had done the job. He tracked the bandits alone for days, colliding in small skirmishes with those sent to slow him down. The trail eventually drew him further into Suna's territory. Until he stumbled across Neji, strung up in a palm tree in the very place they were currently heading toward. He'd been a mess, beaten senseless, incoherent, and incapable of telling Kakashi what had happened.

It had been a clear warning. Stop chasing us, or else.  


It was a warning that Kakashi had no intention of heeding. However, his priorities had shifted after that. He'd been forced to abandon the trail and get Neji to the nearest village and send a call for help. Now he could only hope that they might find it once again when they arrived back at the Northern Well. It had been a trial, waiting for his injuries to heal enough to travel, and waiting to see if Neji could survive, waiting for Konoha reinforcements. Waiting, waiting, waiting. The time for that was over. Kakashi would find them and bring the pair back home.

As they neared the Well, a deep baying howl rang through the air. Akamaru let out an answering howl, bolting forward to outpace the humans eagerly. Kakashi grinned beneath his mask. They were close. His gaze slid over blinding white dunes to seek out the black shape of Bull. He had left the largest of his hounds behind to keep an eye on the bandits, observing at a distance. The ninja hound barreled toward them, a cloud of dust trailing behind him, his sagging skin flapping with every lumbering step. Kakashi was happy to see the great beastly mutt. It meant they were close.

"Bull, did you find them?" Kakashi called.

"Clever bastards, I lost 'em two days ago. Couldn't find the trail again." The hound said in his deep rumble of a voice.

"Right, starting fresh then." Kakashi let out a grunt of disappointment. Bull circled their group, rounding behind them to change direction. He quickly caught up, then outpaced them. Akamaru leapt forward to join the other dog eagerly, their barks guiding them toward the oasis. The sandstorm rose above their heads in the distance, casting a shadow over their goal long before Gaara's arrival.   


***

They couldn't have arrived any faster than they did, but impatience broiled within Gaara. Below them, the Leaf shinobi gathered, barely specks until they dropped down toward the ground. Three ninjas, not even a full team to hunt down the most important person in his life. Pitiful. Outrage burned in his gut. 

With a wave of his hand, Gaara guided his sand down the last of the distance. He stepped onto solid earth, his siblings behind him. His sand rushed back into its gourd as he took the lead. Red robes billowing behind him, he marched towards the gathered shinobi. The sun beat down, warming the air around them to almost unbearable levels. 

"It's going to be hot today," Kankuro muttered under his breath to his sister as they watched their younger brother stalk into the oasis, rage practically coming off of him in heatwaves.   


"Yeah. Let's see what they have to say. Watch him. He's going to explode at any moment, and we don't need any casualties." Temari responded nervously, jogging ahead to catch up, walking over sandy dunes with all of the grace of a desert dweller. She knew Gaara, and while he had not had an episode in almost two years, that might be their downfall. He was overdue.   


"Kakashi." Gaara greeted the senior shinobi, his gaze passing dismissively over the other two men. He knew them, but not well enough to remember their names.

"Gaara. This is Shino and Kiba. They're our best trackers." Kakashi indicated his team, his words only slightly reassuring to the frazzled shinobi. "We're going to find them, whatever it takes."

"Tell me what happened. I want every detail." Gaara stalked away from Kakashi to pace the oasis. It was a familiar place, a rare gem in the desert. Palms and hardy desert cacti sprouted from the earth, surrounding the small turquoise pool of water that made this place so valuable. The water there was sandy and undrinkable but beautiful to behold. His gaze latched on a nearby palm, where blood stained its bark.

"That's, uh, that's Neji's, my other team member." Kakashi's voice interrupted him before he could react. "He was badly injured. These men are not normal shinobi. They have an incredible genjutsu. It overwhelmed even my Sharingan." Kakashi explained, his words heavy with weariness. "I left Bull, my hound, behind. He followed them but lost the trail two days out." 

"Two days... we can still catch up," Gaara's eyes flashed, his mind calculating the possibilities. His sand would be the fastest method, but if Kakashi was right, he might have to conserve his energy. He would not risk losing Lee over impatience.  


"Mmm, he spied on them while he could. They have more shinobi than just our own captured somehow. At least a dozen. He couldn't get within a hundred yards, or the genjutsu would hit."

"Lee, what about Lee? Did he see him?" Gaara asked, closing his eyes tightly. He managed to keep his voice calm, collected, showing not even a touch of the turmoil beneath the surface of his mask.  


"No. He saw Naruto but not Lee." Kakashi answered regretfully, subtly watching Gaara out of the corner of his good eye. He could practically feel the malevolence coming off the kid. It set off his instincts, making them sing danger. 

"He was here, though?" Gaara asked as he held back a physical tremble that wanted to rip apart his very bones. He could feel the omega inside him, keening in sorrow, needing his mate, but he couldn't show even a hint of weakness. Only his siblings knew he was an omega. Even Lee didn't share his designation with anyone.

"Yes."

"Show me where," Gaara didn't make it a request. 

"Here. Follow me. I didn't get to stay long, Neji was in a bad spot, but they had a few camps over this way. Even a carriage to transport the captives." Kakashi explained, waving Shino and Kiba to stand down when they moved to follow them. Temari and Kankuro followed behind silently, following a cue from Gaara to spread out. If there were something to be found, the three of them would see it. 

Gaara swallowed hard; he didn't know what he expected to find in this place, some secret note left by Lee. Maybe a sign that he was still alive, or even a clue as to where he had gone. He followed Kakashi around the pool of water, his short legs stretching to keep up.   


He crossed his arms, hiding his shaking hands in his sleeves; they were icy cold despite the temperature. Not a good sign, Gaara thought regrettably. The sand shield was protecting him from the worst of the arid heat, but it wasn't strong enough to do this. He couldn't focus on that, it was just another problem they didn't have time for. He forced his focus away from his own body and transferred it to the others. He could tell they were having some trouble with the temperature. By default, he should be as well. He tried not to focus on that problem, concentrating his worry on the team instead.

Kakashi was already sweating, his tunic damp at his back, and his pale skin reddened with sunburn. Even Temari and Kankuro were struggling beneath the rising temperature. Curious, he turned around, glancing back at Kiba and Shino. They were both draped in misery beside two dogs, sitting in the last spot of shade beneath a palm tree. With the sun almost directly above them, even that bit of relief would soon be gone. It was easy to forget these people weren't familiar with such temperatures. He needed to keep an eye out for them if this was how they were reacting now. The heat would only get more oppressive as the day went on.

"There's water in the well behind the crest, there," Gaara called back toward them when he saw Kiba drop the last of his water into a dish for the dogs.

"They've been running since Konoha; they're just a little weary. We'll take some food pills before we head out." Kakashi reassured him, a look of surprise flashing across his eyes at the show of consideration. He hid it well, shielding his eyes with his hand. 

"If that's what they need." Gaara nodded his head, even as his stomach churned with anxiety and the need to move. He wasn't a fool; these people were the only ones helping him recover Lee. They would be useless if he didn't take care of them. Maybe it was part of his ridiculous omega nature, but he didn't like seeing them so exhausted. He was a scary bastard, though, and he knew from experience that he couldn't offer the care that most omegas were free to give. 

He didn't ask before he twitched his fingers and siphoned sand from the gourd at his back. Kakashi's dark eyes followed the movement, and Gaara saw his muscles tense, expecting what, Gaara wasn't sure. He didn't let it bother him, splitting the sand into separate clouds that he sent to hover over each of his people's heads. They would follow the shinobi as they went about their business, giving them some small protection from the elements. He didn't say anything, and none of his group responded to the oddity, only Kiba flinching before he got up to refill his canteen as instructed.

Gaara rubbed a hand over his face, relishing the slight shiver of satisfaction his omega received by protecting them. The feeling eased the ache of isolation, calming the panic Lee's absence provoked. He'd learned to soothe his instincts with little things over the years. It was the best he could do in his position.

"This is it," Kakashi gestured toward the remnants of the bandits camp as they came upon it. The desert must have been resting that week because it was in remarkably good shape. The remains of a fire pit stood to the left, half-buried scraps of food peeking out of the sand. Tracks still lingered, imprints of feet, drag marks, even the impression of wagon wheels remain. They were almost filled in from time. If they had arrived even a few hours later, they might have missed it.

Buzzards cawed where they hovered over the remains of a single body, the stench of the remains burning Gaara's nose. Gaara paced over to the remains anxiously, feathers flying as the buzzards dispersed in his wake. The body was clad in black, not Lee's characteristic green. Nevertheless, Gaara nudged it over with the toe of his shoe, releasing a ragged breath when he revealed unfamiliar features. Thank god. 

"Over here!" Kankuro called from a few dozen feet away, arms crossed grimly over his chest. He stood next to a monolith-like rock that pierced through the desert floor. Gaara flitted across the sand, landing beside his brother with a puff of displaced air, Kakashi and Temari not far behind him.

"What happened here?" Temari whispered in shock, voicing what was running through Gaara's mind. Dried blood was sprayed across the sandstone, the deep browns almost blending in with the rough texture, practically invisible to an untrained eye. Even the sand below, protected from the elements by the wall of rock, was stained a dark, rusty red. There was so much blood, too much. 

"I found this in the rock," Kankuro murmured, holding out his hand. Pinched between his fingers was a scrap of material. Bright green fibers drew Gaara's eye, the edge stained with blood. He had his sign; Lee had been here...

Gaara couldn't help but dread what that meant, darkness edging into his vision as he stared at the dried splatter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I was excited to bring in some new ninjas I've never written before. It's fun figuring out how to put their personalities onto 'paper'. I plan on making this action based similar to my Blood and Sand fic, so I can't wait for the new battle scenes with these guys!  
> Thank you for reading, as usual, I appreciate everyone's comments and feedback. It makes my heart happy! Unlike a bunch of people I literally write fanfic for the feedback. lol


	3. Blood and Miscommunications

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The next chapter in the series.  
> Hope you all enjoy it, and please, leave me feedback! I'm desperate! Going through comment withdrawals, lol.

"Gaara?"

"Gaara, listen, keep yourself calm." 

His companions' voices were a dull hum, like bees in a hive, indecipherable and annoying. He couldn't hear the minuscule noise over the pounding of his heart. Locked beneath the cage of his ribs, it sent blood rushing through his veins, and he swore his pulse would shake him apart if he let it. He couldn't see anything but the blood-splattered rock, and his vision was dark around the edges, his world narrowed. He clutched the small piece of fabric in his palm. The material felt like it was burning a hole through his skin, even as it rested there, innocent of its horrible origin.

_Wrong._ This was all wrong. 

Unaware of the turmoil rolling through their brother's mind, Temari and Kankuro watched the younger man warily. Standing there, sunlight glittering in the sandshield on his skin, he looked as though he were made of stone. He was hard to read on the best of days, but at that moment, he was practically emotionless. However, that didn't mean he was calm or rational. Temari wanted to believe Gaara was in control. It was hard to accept when they were both knew well that their younger brother could end all of their lives with a snap of his fingers at any time. It was a fact they had to be aware of at all times, despite how distasteful.

Time had changed him, but it hadn't been near long enough for Tamari to believe he would not relapse. Gaara was impulsive and unpredictable when he was like this, and while she didn't like that his past influenced her opinion of him, she wasn't stupid enough to ignore her instincts. Temari didn't like that she was scared of her brother, but she could argue that she had a valid reason to be. Her gaze met Kankuro's, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

_"Your turn."_ The man mouthed inaudibly.

_"Bastard._ " She returned, before dragging in a deep breath and stepping closer to her youngest brother. Being the oldest had its drawbacks.

"Gaara, can you hear me?" She asked in a non-threatening tone. When she received no response, she reached out to rest her hand on his shoulder, hoping to pull him back in from whatever place his mind had gone. Gaara reacted immediately, his muscles tensing beneath her palm before he spun out of her reach as if he had been burned. His eyes were wild and full of untamed emotions as he twisted to look at the source of the offending limb. Green eyes, whites rimmed in black, locked with Temari's blue gaze. 

Temari held her arms up in surrender, brow furrowed as she looked him over. Shukaku was as close to the surface as the slumbering demon had been in a long time. _Fuck._ She thought, her fighters-instinct screaming at her that danger was nearby. It took a concentrated effort to reign herself in. She was used to running at the first signs of the beast. _He's not there yet._ She reassured herself. 

"Hey. We lost you for a minute." Temari whispered, backing away slowly from Gaara to give him more space. Kankuro stepped in closer beside them, fingers twitching as if he were ready to summon his puppets. It took a moment for Temari's words to register, but slowly, the dark rims of demonic energy siphoned from Gaara's eyes, leaving behind the emotionless expression she was used to.

"I'm fine," Gaara snapped as he inhaled a shallow breath, taking sympathy on his sister and breaking her gaze. He wasn't sure if he was telling the truth; he didn't feel anywhere close to fine. However, it was the expected answer. They didn't need to knew he could feel himself slowly unraveling. He could keep it together. He could do it for Lee. He had no other choice. 

"Good, good. Uhh, Kakashi, go ahead." Kankuro said, glancing at Temari with wide eyes, communicating silently with his sister. The older woman shook her head subtly, motioning for him to come by her side with a crook of her finger. He had also seen the demon there, inside Gaara, waiting. Somehow it was so much more terrifying than it had been before. Kankuro felt like he was waiting for something horrible to happen, unable to stop it. The only thing he could do was keep Gaara calm and maintain their distance so as not to aggravate the beast within.

"Right," Kakashi started, clearing his throat and scratching the back of his head as he tucked away the book he'd been reading. He'd watched the three interacting inconspicuously, keeping track of everything even as he feigned disinterest. Temari and Kankuro didn't trust their brother. If there happened to be a problem, he would need to keep an eye on the situation, for his team's safety. "If I am remembering correctly, this wasn't here before," he said as he eyed the three siblings for a moment before dropping into a crouch to get a better look at the scene. "It might not even be Lee's. It could be Neji's, but I can't be sure."

"What about you, Gaara? Can you tell?" Kankuro asked. He and Lee might not be fully bound yet, but they had been together for long enough that the omega might be able to pick up his mate's scent.

"If we can confirm it's not Neji's, we could use it to track them." Kakashi agreed regretfully; it was a shit thing to ask someone. It was their best chance. 

Gaara stood beside them for a minute, not speaking. Kankuro thought he looked like he was carved from sandstone; he was so completely emotionless. Not for the first time, Kankuro found himself wondering how Gaara had attracted an alpha that was so utterly his opposite. Lee would have been panicking, completely distraught at the loss of his mate. He couldn't help but feel just a little pity for the leaf shinobi. It was a very one-sided relationship, as far as he could see.

Gaara tried to swallow past the dry lump of anxiety in his throat. He found he wasn't sure if he wanted to find out if the blood belonged to Lee. However, something in him had to know. He reached out toward the stone, surprised when he saw that he wasn't trembling. Surely there should be some outward sign of the turmoil happening inside of him? He felt like he should be shaking to pieces. That at any moment, he would fall apart, and the earth would open up beneath him and swallow him whole. He ran long fingers over the dark stains on the rock, the coarse texture beneath his fingertips rough and abrasive. He caught no whiff of scent from the blood on the stone. It was too exposed. The sand below was his best bet.

"How many of them are there?" The redhead asked, to keep his mind from spiraling. He knew so many ways to kill someone that would draw out less blood than this.

"Well, it's hard to say. I was trapped in their genjutsu. It's... disorienting, to say the least." Kakashi huffed; that was an understatement. His head still ached from that damn jutsu a week later. He didn't say that, though, watching as Gaara ran his hand over blood-stained granules, brushing away the surface layer. "Bull counted at least thirteen, but he couldn't get close enough to be sure."

"Thirteen...we can handle that," Temari stated confidently from behind Gaara while he dug deeper into the stained earth.

"It's not their numbers I'm worried about; it's their jutsu," Gaara huffed. The warm sand beneath his hand turned darker the further he dug down, the remnants less sunbaked. He held his breath, his gut twisting.

"I agree. I've not seen anything like it. We don't know these people's motive. We don't know how the hell they're capturing so many shinobi. We don't even know who they are working for." Kakashi grated out, irritation heavy in his voice.

"We do know they are willing to try and kill to achieve it. Which means it has to be something big," Temari observed, chewing her lower lip and fanning her face with a hand.

Gaara grunted nonverbally in response to their musings. He shoved one last handful of sand out of his way. The blood had soaked several inches into the ground and was untouched by the elements here. Warily Gaara brought cupped a handful of it and lifted it several inches before letting it stream through the gaps in his fingers. It drifted back to the ground in a slow stream, dust plumming outward in a small cloud that drifted toward him. He watched grain by grain drift to the ground, only breathing when the last of it hit the parched earth. The movement released the scent he had known would be there all along, lemon bitters and green tea.

Gaara's eyes widened, and he bit back the urge to gag. The aroma was almost unrecognizable, distorted by the sharp odor of rotten, coppery blood and earth, but it was there. _Lee._ This was the scent of his alpha, of his mate, and something horrible had happened here. Gaara sucked in a short breath, pressing his nose into the crook of his forearm for a moment to collect himself.

"Is it Lee's?" Temari asked.

"Yes," Gaara said shortly, his voice thick with strain. He stood and turned in a circle as if his mate would somehow pop out of the air. Lee always said he stunk like sweat and would laugh when Gaara burrowed in close to scent him. The man was a liar; he smelled wonderful, as soothing as rain in the desert. This was nothing like that; it offered him no comfort. It was tainted. Wrong. 

"Deep breath, Gaara," Kankuro whispered, watching warily as the sand beneath Gaara's feet boiled like water in a pot. It bubbled, puffs of dust releasing into the air when they popped on the surface. Kakashi stepped back, away from the rolling earth, and Kankuro mimicked him. Putting distance between himself and Gaara sounded like a very good idea. "You need to focus, for Lee." 

"Shut the fuck up, Kankuro," Gaara growled, unaware of his loss of control. His scowl was centered on the desert where these bastards had _his_ mate. 

"Just because it's his blood doesn't mean anything. He could be just fine. Maybe he cut himself." Temari contemplated, trying to pacify her brother's rage. It sounded ridiculous even to her. They were warriors; they knew what it took to injure someone and cause this much bleeding. However, she was at a loss for words to reassure him. Her heart was pounding with fear. If Gaara lost it, they barely stood a chance against him, even with Kakashi.

"Or it could be mixed with someone else's and not as bad as it looks," Kankuro added, grimacing at the uselessness of his words.

" _Both_ of you shut up," Gaara hissed with irritation. He could detect their rising fear. Their emotions buffeted the shields he had so carefully erected around his mind after years of being a packless omega, assaulted by his people's hatred. It hurt, it hurt so damn much he didn't want to be around them anymore. He needed to get away, but at the same time, his omega craved their comfort desperately and needed to apologize for making them afraid. He wanted to submit to his alpha siblings and beg for their forgiveness.

With a sharp hiss of discomfort, he slammed the pathetic creature back behind the walls of his mind. He didn't have the luxury of pack, not without Lee. He was fine, he was _fine!_ With a hiss of anger, he jerked his hand back toward his brother and sister, not even bothering to look them in their faces as he threw up a wall of sand between himself and his siblings, much to their startlement, the two leaping back to put distance between them. 

He didn't need to feel their eyes on him or feel them judging him. Neither of them was reading him correctly, and he didn't know how to express his emotion to them. With luck, he wouldn't have to. He merely had to focus on finding Lee. Lee would know what he needed. He always knew what Gaara needed. The earth carrying Lee's blood lifted from the ground, twisting and turning into the hot desert air. Tenderly a twisting branch of his own sand reached out, encasing the bloodied remnants in an orb the size of a cactus pear. It floated in front of him for a moment before Gaara reached out, the sphere dropping into his palm. Swallowing hard, he tucked it into his pocket where he could keep it safe. 

The measure oddly calmed his nerves. Lee was with him now. He wasn't alone. It was a bit of a backslide, and even he acknowledged that, but he didn't care. Gaara hadn't brought anything of his mates with him, and he was quickly finding that had been a mistake. _It's alright; I'll find the idiot and get him back. I only need this for now._ Gaara reassured himself. Yes, just for now, when he found Lee, his mate would understand what was going on in his head. He always did.

"Kakashi, see if your hounds can get a scent off the blood or from this. We leave in thirty." Gaara said, holding his hand out to Kakashi and dropping the scrap of fabric into the ninja's outheld palm.

"Right," Kakashi said, nodding his head and flitting away toward his team with a puff of displaced air. 

Gaara glanced at Kankuro and Temari, huddled together in conversation beneath a nearby palm tree, their voices too low to hear. Wordlessly he dropped the wall he'd erected. Turning away from his siblings, he walked out of the oasis. As soon as he was far enough away from everyone, he twisted his fingers, pulling a pillar from the earth beneath him. He lifted his face toward the bright blue sky as he guided the sand to do his bidding, pushing him toward the clouds. Grief twisted his heart. How could the sky be so blue when he felt like his world was crumbling into darkness. 

He was lifted higher and higher, the wind ripping at his red hair as he rose above the desert. Here, away from anyone who could see him, he finally let the tears that seared his eyes slip free to track dark trails through the sand shield on his skin. The wind whipped away the droplets, the heat of the sun sucking away the moisture in an instant. He slowed down his ascent, the sudden halt making his stomach feel like he'd left it far below. 

Below him, the oasis was a speck of green in an otherwise lifeless world, he could barely see shinobi below, and for the first time, he felt safe enough to fall apart. He pulled the sphere holding the small piece of his mate from his pocket and stared at it where it rested in his hand. His chest heaved as he dropped down to sit on the pedestal beneath him. Gaara pulled his knees up to his chest, hugging himself tight in a way that was all too familiar. He couldn't say how many times he'd found himself in a similar position before he'd found Lee—consoling his omega the only way he could. Now he was alone again, and he found it hurt more than he had ever imagined. 

He couldn't breathe. A short sob of sorrow broke past his lips, cracking with the force it took to keep it contained. He hid his face against his knees to muffle the sound, his shoulders shaking as he struggled with a wave of emotions so much more profound than he'd ever felt.

He gave himself only a few minutes to lose control. His breath was damp against his face as he uncurled from where he hid, scrubbing a hand over sand-muddied cheeks and causing it to smear across his face. Beneath the tear-soaked granules, his skin was red from crying, but he quickly hid all signs of his loss of control, fresh sand concealing all but his reddened eyes. He stood silently, Lee's orb clutched in his hand as he directed his gaze into the distance.

The horizon rippled with heatwaves and small dust devils that whirled across an endless sea of dust. Somewhere out there was his mate, and it was time to move. His resolve in place, Gaara cut the jutsu holding the pillar in place and free fell toward the earth in a plume of sand. 

Kakashi and the others watched in muted awe as the young lord plummeted toward them. They shielded their faces from the burst of dust that came before the man landed, concealing him from view. The cloud settled, revealing his red-clad form, standing with his back to them. He was already walking into the desert, waving back at them to follow. Kankuro and Temari were already on the move, their feet not leaving a single indent in the sand beneath them; it was as though the three had never been there.

Kakashi nodded and whistled sharply, the sound cutting through the air. His pack of hounds burst into motion behind him, surging across the desert toward Gaara and then past him, redirecting Gaara onto the trail as they ran. They spread out across the desert, leaving streams of dust in their wake. Kiba, riding on the back of Akamaru, took the lead, the wild shinobi howling into the air from the thrill of the hunt. The howls of the rest of the hounds joined Kiba's, rippling through the still desert air and bouncing far across the dunes.

A dark cloud flew over Kakashi, the almost inaudible flutter of thousands of insect wings buzzed against his ears, and Shino ran past, winged insects billowing from his robes and buzzing into the sky in every direction. With one last stretch for his injured leg, Kakashi leapt into the air, propelling himself after his team. He dropped to the ground beside Gaara, matching the shorter man's pace with ease. 

The hunt was on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.  
> I have always written the sand siblings as very supportive and loving. This is the first time I've had them so early on after Gaara remakes himself. I feel kind of sad writing them like that! Don't worry, though. Eventually, they grow to connect with him! 
> 
> I want my Gaara to be reunited so badly, to bad, the boy got some shit to go through first!
> 
> COMMENT! KUDO! I demand it! No, I don't demand, but I unashamedly beg for it :D

**Author's Note:**

> I had so much fun writing this version of Gaara. He's so badass and different from the other versions I have written. 
> 
> Please comment, Kudo, subscribe or whatever floats your bitty boat. I thrive on everyone's feedback, it's literally what motivates me :D
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


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